Hi All,
New to the forum and new to RVing. My wife and I are looking to make our first RV purchase and I've found a '12 Heartland North Trail 32 BUDS model that caught my eye. I got the VIN and contacted Heartland to get the build sheet and it is the Caliber edition, so it seems pretty nice. I have a few questions though:

1) I am active duty military and will be soon stationed at Fort Wainwright, AK (Fairbanks). Although I have no plans to use it during the winter, I would like to be able to use it during the Spring/Summer months and want to know if you think the 'enclosed underbelly' is enough protection for the colder weather at night. If not... is an aftermarket thermal package (heated and/or wrapped tanks) a good option (how much would/should that cost)?

2) It's very hard for me to get an idea of what a 'good' price is. For instance, the model I've found is asking $19,900 for the above trailer, which (according to NADA Guides) seems to be a good price.

3) Our budget is $20k, is there a different model/line anyone would recommend? We really like the bunkhouse floorplan that would give our kids their own room in the back.

4) Anything else I should be thinking about??

Sincerely appreciate any help anyone can offer. We are getting really excited about beginning our RV adventure! Safe travels, everyone.

Jeff

jimtoo

01-15-2014, 01:49 PM

Hi Jeff,

Welcome to the Heartland Owners Forum and hopefully to the family. We have a great bunch of folks here with lots of information and all willing to share their knowledge when needed.

I'm sure some of out other Heartland Family that have the North Trail will jump in with some help for you.

Enjoy the forum.

Jim M

JWPickler

01-15-2014, 03:04 PM

Thanks! I forgot to mention that my tow vehicle is a 2013 Ram 2500 with Cummins, so I would like to think that my options for trailers are very wide. Looking forward to getting input from some Heartland owners!

danemayer

01-15-2014, 04:06 PM

Hi Jeff,

Weatherspark.com shows the temperature history for April in Fairbanks getting down to -19F. You'd need to do quite a bit to keep water running in those temps and might have some difficulty staying comfortable inside. May looks much milder with lows around 22F. At that temp, to keep water systems working, you'll probably need some type of skirting, or tank heaters and water line heat tape.

Tank heating pads run close to $100 for each tank, not including labor. Heat tape on all your water lines will probably run around $200, not including labor. I've replaced one tank heating pad and installed heat tape on all my water lines. I don't remember exactly how long it took, but 4-5 hours would probably cover it.

Take a look at our Water Systems Winter Usage Guid (http://manuals.heartlandowners.org/?man=User%20Guides)e for additional info.

priorguy

01-16-2014, 02:50 PM

I have a North Trail as well and in lower temps it was much better the my previous trailers but only cold at night when I used it. Quite warm during the day so water wouldn't freeze. Compare the R values between Bighorn or Landmark and the Caliber edition. Mine is quite good, if I recall they are the same construction. The R value could be the same but could be less. It does gave the heated and enclosed underbelly but I don't think the yeti package is available. Dealer installed is always an option. Everything is negotiable.

Anything Danemayer tells is definitely worth listening too. I've gotten many hints and tips on my first year of ownership from many others on the forum as well.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

olcoon

01-16-2014, 11:07 PM

I'll jump in here with my 2 cents worth, but first, THANK YOU for doing what you do. As a former swab jockey from back in the days when the ships were wood & the men were iron, (well, maybe I was aluminum, if you ask my ex-wife I was plastic!) I have the utmost respect for someone that would volunteer for any branch of the military. I salute you!

Like Dan & others have said I feel you'll definitely need to take some extra efforts to keep from freezing things up if you go camping in "questionable" weather. We went from tent camping to a 5th wheel, and about the only thing we knew about RVing was that it was a lot better than sleeping in a on the ground! We were close to retirement & didn't realize how much we'd love the RV lifestyle. We bought an Elk Ridge 27RLSS (isn't made anymore), thinking this would suit our needs. It's got 1 slide & would be fine for a vacation. Now that we have it, we are living in it about 6 months of the year! We didn't expect that, we are wanting to upgrade, and get one with more slides, and a closet. Just don't have enough room for what we "need" to take with us. Bottom line is, think about what you want out of a camper, then expand you requirements if possible. What looks good now, I'm sure will look different after you have purchased, and used it for a while. Those kids will grow & what looks good now, may be too small later. When/if we do upgrade, it will definitely be a Heartland product! Also, you definitely have a truck that will pull a lot of rigs, we also have the 2500 Dodge can't hardly tell the Elk Ridge is back there. Also have the exhaust brake & in the mountains out west, will sometimes have to speed up down hill, as I'm going too slow!!!

JWPickler

01-18-2014, 04:53 PM

Thanks to everyone for your words of wisdom (and the kind words from olcoon!). My family and I just got back from the KC RV Show and were somewhat underwhelmed. They didn't seem to really have the models we were interested in and the prices did not seem that competitive based on what I've been able to find on the internet. That being said, I'm currently pretty firm on either the Heartland North Trail 32BUDS or the Jayco Eagle 314BDS. Does anyone have any knowledge of the Jayco model and what (if any) are the key differences between the two. They seem to be pretty comparable and well built, but I'm certainly open to anyone's advice and/or experience. I've certainly enjoyed the help thus far on this forum and know that is a large selling point for the Heartland series. Thanks again to everyone and appreciate any further insight.

Regards,
Jeff

pegmikef

01-18-2014, 05:27 PM

Thanks to everyone for your words of wisdom (and the kind words from olcoon!). My family and I just got back from the KC RV Show and were somewhat underwhelmed. They didn't seem to really have the models we were interested in and the prices did not seem that competitive based on what I've been able to find on the internet. That being said, I'm currently pretty firm on either the Heartland North Trail 32BUDS or the Jayco Eagle 314BDS. Does anyone have any knowledge of the Jayco model and what (if any) are the key differences between the two. They seem to be pretty comparable and well built, but I'm certainly open to anyone's advice and/or experience. I've certainly enjoyed the help thus far on this forum and know that is a large selling point for the Heartland series. Thanks again to everyone and appreciate any further insight.

Regards,
Jeff

Jeff, Hang on to all those lowball prices that you can get on the interenet because a lot of dealers will work wtih you in negotiating a final price. Sure they will have a lot of reasons why you should pay them more, but money is money. I have bought three HL rigs from dealers and my personal guide is at least 30 percent off of MSRP (including the options' MSRP). Good luck with your search. Thanks for your service.